Comfort, luxury for families

It’s not very often that a minivan makes you say “wow,” but a few features on the Toyota Sienna do exactly that.
One is what Toyota calls Lounge Seating that lets two lucky second-row passengers kick up their feet in sublime comfort. Like a La-Z-Boy recliner for the road, these seats lean way back and support your legs on a padded footrest while you take a nap, offering the kind of first-class luxury that would seem more at home in a Rolls-Royce than something that’s likely to have ground-up Cheerios in the carpet.

Gotta love minivans.
Another “wow” feature is the gigantic, 16.4-inch digital screen that can fold down from the ceiling like a stadium scoreboard. Called the Dual View Entertainment System, this optional feature will let you watch a movie on one big screen, or — as my children would surely do — split the display in half to watch two different things at once.
One kid can watch “My Little Pony” while the other plays video games, for example. There are two separate, independent inputs for the video signal, which is a great way to keep intrafamily squabbles to a minimum.
Finally, my Sienna tester came with a feature I’d never seen before in any minivan from the factory: a seat that will electronically slide out, making it easy to load elderly or disabled passengers into the van.
Called the Auto Access Seat, it lets you press a button or use a remote control to make the seat scoot out and pivot like a robot, lowering itself near the ground outside the vehicle for easy access. After your passenger is in the seat, you press a button again to motor their seat back into the cabin, safe and secure.
The Sienna has long been the softest, quietest, smoothest-riding van you can buy. People who like more driving feedback and a firmer, more car-like ride typically prefer the Honda Odyssey, and people who enjoy a floaty, isolating ride choose the Sienna.
Both of these top-tier Japanese vans enjoy impressive resale value, which helps justify their premium starting prices — at least when compared to the Dodge vans that are more popular and don’t seem as solidly built. The Dodge Grand Caravan starts at $20,595 for a very basic model, compared to $26,920 for the lowest-priced Sienna and $28,825 for the base Odyssey.
With the Auto Access Seat and a long list of luxury add-ons, my test van rang up over $47,000 — or about what I paid for my first house.

For that price, you’re really buying an exotic dream car for moms and dads. It’s a Ferrari or Lamborghini for people with booster seats, packed with a remarkable amount of engineering, luxury and family-friendly forethought.
Glancing around the cabin, it’s clear that the Sienna was designed by people who know what families need on road trips: the seats that easily fold flat into the floor, the myriad storage bins and cubbies everywhere you look, the ample charging ports for your electronic gizmos, and the 11 million strategically located cup holders.
When you combine all that with the high-end luxuries and technologies this minivan can be outfitted with, from mobile apps to the DVD movie player to a blind-spot warning sensor, it can work magic on the road.
It makes long highway trips not only bearable, but enjoyable.

At a Glance

What was tested?
2014 Toyota Sienna FWD With Auto Access Seat ($40,915). Options: Blind spot monitor ($500), XLE Mobility Premium Package ($4,870), carpet floor mats ($330). Price as tested (including $860 destination charge): $47,475
Wheelbase: 119.3 in.
Length: 200.2 in.
Width: 78.2 in.
Height: 68.9 in.
Engine: 3.5-liter V6 (266 horsepower, 245 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: 6-speed ECT automatic
EPA Mileage: 18 city, 25 highway

RATINGS
Style: 4
Performance: 7
Price: 7
Handling: 6
Ride: 10
Comfort: 10
Quality: 9
Overall: 8

Video Review:
2014 Toyota Sienna
http://bit.ly/2014sienna

Why buy it? 
It’s the softest riding, quietest minivan you can buy. It feels solidly built and is available with lots of features for keeping your passengers happy, comfortable and entertained. The Lounge Seating is amazing.